Are you planning to spend a peaceful weekend or a nice holiday in Siena this Summer? If so, you will certainly be interested in knowing the events in Siena that will take place in July of 2016, the middle month of Summer during which the city of the Palio comes alive with folklore and exclusive occurrences. In addition to the center of Siena, during the month of July events will take place also in Chianti, Val d’Orcia and Val d’Elsa.
The main events in and around Siena in July 2016
The Palio of the 2nd ofJuly itself is the first event for which you should already be looking for a nice accommodation near the city center! A practical advice on this regards: choose the Hotel Italia in Siena, a 3-stars hotel near the city walls, but outside the restricted traffic zone. Booking a hotel near the center but outside the restricted traffic zone like the Hotel Italia allows to reach the hotel by car, but also to reach Piazza del Campo easily on foot, with a nice walk of 15/20 minutes, to enjoy the race and the parade with historic costumes, the decorations of the square and all the multicolored folklore that surrounds this historic event.
A quick recap of this ancient event: the Palio of the 2nd of July, also known as the Palio di Provenzano, is the first of the two Palio races that take place in Siena during the Summer. The second Palio is scheduled for the 16th of August, and is also called Palio dell’Assunta. Both editions of the Palio di Siena take place in the suggestive context of Piazza del Campo and involve 10 of the 17 contrade in which the city is divided. In some years, to celebrate important occurrences, there can also be a 3rd Palio, also known as Palio Straordinario, like the one that took place on the 9th of September 2000 in honor of the new millennium.
A few days after the Palio of the 2nd of July, another historic event takes place near Siena: “Monteriggioni di Torri si corona”, scheduled this year for the days of 7,8,9,10 and 15,16,17 of July 2016. This is the 26th Edition of this medieval-style event that takes place in the lovely town of Monteriggioni, known to be one of the most beautiful towns of the province of Siena. Like every year, “Monteriggioni di Torri si corona” will feature medieval banquets, historic reenactments, parades with historic costumes, performances of street artists and acrobats and theater shows.
Speaking of history, but also art and architecture, another important event of July is the Special uncovering of the Siena’s Cathedral floor. In honor of the Jubilee of Mercy, the Opera Metropolitana di Siena has in fact decided to make the Cathedral’s floor visible from the 29th of June to the 31st of July and from the 18th of August to the 26th of October.
Among the other upcoming events in Siena and its province in July 2016 it’s also worth mentioning the Chianti Festival 2016, scheduled until the 19th of July in the main towns of the Chianti Classico, and the Festival Musica negli Horti, a classic music festival in San Quirico d’Orcia from the 19th to the 24th of July.
If you’d rather not spend your holidays at the sea or the mountains, a holiday in Siena in the heart of Summer is certainly an option to strongly consider. You will have the chance to live intense days inside the city walls and around the province in all sorts of events, while discovering sites of rare beauty and fashion. Don’t waste time and book you holiday in Siena now!
Image credit: http://larchitrave.com/
